Without any break in the schedule, I went from cooking in McGee Creek at Crowley Lake to Healdsburg over the course of a weekend to begin harvest. So, it's time to catch up on one incredible summer on the East Side.

First, I want to thank Elizabeth, Scott and the kids, without Elizabeth's invite to be in McGee (and the leap of faith in me that I can pull it all off), none of this unique experience happens. Elizabeth allowed me to have tremendous freedom in her kitchen, that level of trust is a rare thing indeed, and for that I am grateful. Thank you Elizabeth for the opportunity and your trust in me. To the kids, Owen and Esha (June won't be far behind), who call me "David Scheidt", not Dave or David, but "Dave Scheidt" thanks for making me laugh each time I hear it (cause it is funny). Scott, thanks for being there when I really wanted to use a Star Wars or superhero reference and Elizabeth would have no idea what I was talking about. Joking aside Scott, I appreciate the help at the wine dinners and crunch times during the season; we needed all hands on deck and those extra hands made each night run that much more smoothly.

To the locals at McGee: Walkers, Slaters, and Meadway (plus Floyd and Dre), I appreciate each of you opening your homes, sharing meals, and bonfires; those are some of my best memories of summer. I got to know many people from the communities of Mammoth, Crowley, McGee, Paradise, Mono, June, and Bishop throughout the summer. Many came in week after week for fresh pasta Friday, some slow-cooked goodness on Saturday or the Sunday Sandwich. I, in turn, got to visit those communities and the people in them. To each of you, THANK YOU.

I wanted to share a note attached to a beer given to me by one of the guys I worked with, Kyle. He uses the formal title on the note "Chef" rather than David which is a big deal. It speaks to the thoughtfulness and genuine nature of many of the people that I have come to know on the East Side. "A little taste of home" as he put it to me when he gave me the beer and the note. Thanks Kyle.

Lastly the food. I've put a small collection of photos together of some of the food I cooked this summer. Gluten-free...been there, done that. I crafted a different gluten-free (and vegan in many cases) bowl every single weekend this summer, without a repeat and every one from scratch.

To balance out the number of gluten-free bowls I cooked, I cooked pounds and pounds of pasta. Pasta with red sauce, primavera, tomato cream and alfredo were all featured. But the runaway favorite was arugula pesto. I put arugula pesto on everything from sandwiches to vegetables. The runaway pasta shape, cannelloni, without question.

For every gluten-free bowl I made, I made two bowls of bread pudding. Vanilla, Chocolate, Mixed Berry, and Vanilla-Cinnamon were my regular offerings. People love bread pudding...don't fight it.

Again, thank you to everyone that came to McGee Creek this summer. I had a remarkable experience with wonderful people.

David's Tribute to Lucio Fanni, Il Maestro

Lucio Fanni from Milan, who came to Santa Cruz over 20 years ago, passed away during the summer. The true Maestro of pasta, his combinations always hit the mark. His energy in the kitchen was unmatched.

Elizabeth and David

Wine dinner nights are "all hands on deck". Two days of prep for what is a 3 hour event. From our last wine dinner of the season, we used a lot of fresh tomatoes and figs, all of which had to be cleaned and sliced. The menu is on the wall in Blue.

We only featured this dish one Sunday, but the results were wonderful. Not really a scone, not really a biscuit, Elizabeth came up with a great savory scone that worked well with my house cured bacon and country gravy

Wine dinner Meadway Farms salad

All raw ingredients from the garden with a mix of lettuce, so that no two plates had exactly the same combination. A light lemony dressing and shavings of parmigiano.

Gluten-free bowl with a whole mess of stuff!

Sun dried tomatoes made this dish pop in my opinions. I also liked putting various toasted and seasoned seeds and nuts for texture and added flavor on my GF bowls

Biscotti, figs, ricotta and vin cotto

Vin Cotto or saba as some call it, offers a sweet and sour touch.

Fresh figs from Wilkerson

Fusilli the way my brother likes it

This is my brother John's signature dish.

Hulk roll, not smash

Fresh pasta, rolled every Friday

Fresh Pasta Friday

Ravioli are always a big hit. Fresh pasta Friday was a winner

Apricot Crepes

I've always loved crepes, so we did some one Sunday morning for brunch

Gluten Free Bowl #237

I remember this being a big hit because I pickled some red onions and placed them as garnish

Chicken Piccata with fusilli pesto

Probably my number one chicken dish over the summer. People like Piccata and Parmigiano.

Pho'

A huge seller on July 4th weekend, I made a super duper broth that sold out each weekend we featured it.

El Super Burrito

One of our most popular items all summer, the super burrito, wet. House made enchilada sauce poured over a big as your head burrito, filled with either vegetarian goodness, chile verde, or ground beef. AKA, the Backpacker's Special.

Slow roasted chicken with black beans

The sleeper dish of the summer. I grilled the chicken on mesquite, just enough to seal it. The sauce was a combination of chiles, guajillo, pasilla being the dominant. I took the chicken and oven braised it in the sauce for about an hour. Huge depth of flavor. The black beans were mixed with roasted potatoes and topped with a cilantro pesto

Meadway Farms Lettuce Garden

Jeff Meadway came through again with a fantastic garden for me to work with.

Kraut dog and potato salad

Sort of a sleeper hit this summer, who doesn't want a hot dog?

Pasta Primavera

An end of season pasta, the Pasta Primavera was a big hit when the tomatoes finally came into season

Meadway Farms Purple Basil

I was using this purple basil for garnish in everything from Pho to gluten free to pasta

Pork loin and polenta

Finalizing the plating of my wine dinner dish of pork loin and polenta with a hint of proscuitto and my pan reduction sauce.

I love chocolate

I made a lot of bread pudding over the summer. Chocolate, berry and vanilla tended to be the big three, but chocolate is has always been my favorite.

Berry bread pudding

My berry version of the bread pudding

Chocolate Bread Pudding

It doesn't get more filling and delicious than chocolate, cream and bread

Eating the scraps

I rarely eat anything during service, especially at a wine dinner. However, I will eat the scraps of just about anything. This is from our first wine dinner and eggplant parmigiano with some extra sauce I was grubbing on.